Draft connection



Aug. 14, 1928 1,680,885

y .H. 1..- INGERsoLL DRAFT termica-10N Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATI-:sl

PATENT OFFICE.

Dm'r CONNECTION.

Application mea rerua'ry' This invention relates'to draft mechanism. One object of the invention isv to provide a safe, strong, durable and efficient coupler' and yoke combination` including a connec: tion between the coupler and yokefwhichl' will permit proper ,pivotal or radial action.

Another object isv to provide at coupler and yoke withV improved cooperating means whereby said coupler and yoke may be readily connected anddisconnected.

Another obect vis to provide a coupler. and yoke com ination in which the various parts cooperate in an improved mannerY to" meet all of the 'requirements under service conditions. y A l These and other objects are accomplished by vmeans of the `arrangement disclosedl by the accompanying'sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupler and yoke embodying niy invention, only the rear portion ofthe coupler being shown, and the usual cushioning unit mounted between the arms of the yoke also no tbeing shown; `g

Figure 2 is a top lan view ofthe ar# rangement shown in igure 1; y Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail top plan view of the coupler butt; ,Y

Figure 4 is atop plan view ofthe coupler butt and yoke showing the coupler butt in` a position ninety' degrees from its normal position for connectingor disconnecting the couler butt and yoke igure `5 is a sectional plane'of line 5--5 of Figure 1;`

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane of line 6 6, of Figure2; Figure 7 is a sectional view taken in the plane of line V7-7 of Figure 1, and

Figure 8 is a detailed sideelevation of the coupler butt showing the latter with a vertical keyhole extending therethrough to make the coupler interchangeable for' usev with a key-slotted yoke.`-

Thev various novel features of the invention will be apparent from. ythe following description and drawings, and will be par ticularly pointed out inV the appended view taken in they claims. v i,

Referring to the figures ofthe drawings, it will be noted that my invention is illus= trated in connection with draft mechanism 'ncludnga yoke' having upper., and lower arms 10 and 11 respectively which arewintegrally connected .at their rear ends by a 1s, 1925. serial' No. 5,860.

strap portion 12. A filler blockld7` formed either separately or integrally, i isQlocated between the yoke arms 10 and 11 at the rear of the yoke adjacent the strap portion 12."

Theforward ends olE the yoke arms A10 and 11 are provided with inwardly-extending lugs 14 which are tapered and undercut, as shown at 15, for a purposeto bedescribed hereinafter. These lugs 14, which' entend vertically toward 'each other and, as shown, are preferably completely frustro-con-ical"` form trunnins upon which the butt 16 oi a coupler 17 pivots for the usual radial action required under actual service conditions. In this Aconnection itf will be lseen that the rear of the coupler butt.y is provided with outwardly or oppositely extending lugs 18, which take the form of a U-'shaped or semi-circular wall at the upper and lower sides of the coupler butt. vSaid semi-circular lugs 18 embrace oneV hundred and eighty degrees of the yoke armlugsl and conform in curvature with respect to said yoke yarm lugs 14 to readily permit radial action of the coupler with respect to `the yoke. The semicircular, oppositely-extending lugs 18'0n the coupler butt 16 also aretapered and under cut,as shown at 19, to cooperate with the' tapered undercut lugs 14 to prevent spreadingyof the yoke arms under draft conditions.

The rear end of the couplerbutt is spherically convex, as shownat 201,1and' cooperates with a spherically concave surface 21 formed in' the front of a bridging wall 22 which is integrally formed with "andV acts as" aspacer between the arms 1() and 11 of the yoke; u By thus making the cooperating lugs 14s-and 18 of the' yoke arms and` coupler butt correspendl in curvature and taper, and by making the spherically convexsurfa'ce 2O on the coupler butt corresphdto' the spherically concave surface`21 on the bridgingr piece 2Q, the coupler is perniited `to pivot r have the necessary radial action in accordancewith the requirements' of all service coliditionslr"A yoke to be "connected and disconnected-with respect to each other. IVith respect to con-V necting and disconnecting the coupler .and yoke, they are movedinto a position atrlght angles with respect yto each other, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. In said figure it will be noted that the lugs 18 of the coupler butt have been moved into engagement with the, lugs 14 on theyoke arms. If it is desiredlto complete the connecting movement between the 4coupler and yoke, the former is moved through lan angle of ninety degrees so that the yoke and coupler are in y alignment. IVhen lin such position said coupler' and yoke `are -locked with respect to each othergin so far as operation thereof is concerned. If it is 'desired to disconnect said icoupler and yoke, the same maybe accomplished vby removing the coupler from its positiony of alignment with the. yoke, as shown'in'Figure 2, to the right angle position as shown fin Figure 4, where-A upon the rcoupler may bemoved in`a per-f pendicular linehwith respect to the yoke for moving the lugs 18 and 14`out of operative relationship. In this manner the .coupler and yoke may be readily connected vand disconnected.

By means of this arrangement a cast steel yoke may be used. Furthermore,by means of this arrangement itis not necessary to` spring the yoke` arms for connecting and disconnecting u the coupler with respect thereto, Vas disclosed in my Patent No. 1,447,178, granted March 6, 1923. The lugs andftheir bearingfareas may be made as large as desirable, as thereis ample space to accommodate relatively' large lugs land it will be noted that the'adjacent upper and lower surfaces on the coupler andyoke arek normally parallel, thereby increasing the bearing area between the members. It will be appreciated that Aa-front yfollower 23 will the sake of clearness.

be used directly to the rear of the bridging piece 22. d' y If desired, the coupler butt may be provided with a key slot 24, as shown in Figure 8, to makethe coupler: interchangeable fori use with a key-slotted yoke. The key slot 2a couldbe shown in Figure 1, as well as in Figure 8, but it is omitted in Figure '1 for It is'my intention tocover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1.' Indraft mechanism, the combination of acoupler having a butt with tapered underout lugs, and a yoke having cooperating. completely frustro-conieal undercut lugs `for forming a pivotal connection:between said coupler and yoke and preventing spread of parts of the l latter. i

2. In draft mechanism, the combination of ya coupler having a butt with outwardly extendingtapered undercut lugs, and a yoke having arms with inwardly extending frustrQ-conical undercut lugs, said undercut lugs on the coupler embracing those on the yoke to form a pivotal draft connection between said coupler and yoke and preventing spreading of the arms of the latter.

3. In draft mechanism, the combination of a coupler having a butt with outwardly extending tapered undercut lugs, and a yoke having arms y with inwardly extending tapered undercut lugs, said tapered undercut lugsxcooperating on three sides to forma direct pivotal draft connection between said coupler and yoke and preventing spreading of the arms of the latter.

4. In draft mechanism, the combination of" a coupler having a butt with lugs and a rear curved surface, av yoke having arms with lugs of less width than and cooperating with said lugs on said coupler butt to yform'u a pivotaldraft connection between said coupler and yoke, said yoke having a cross member Iconnecting said. yoke arms acting 'as a spacer and having a curved'surface cooperating with the curved surface vof said coupler.

5. Inv draft mechanism, the combination of a coupler having a butt with lugs and a rear spherically curved surfaceLa yoke having arms with frustro-conical lugs cooperat# ing with said lugs on said coupler butt to forma pivotal draft connection between said coupler and yoke, said yoke havinga cross member connectingV said yoke arms actingas a spacer andhaving a spherically curved surface cooperating, with, the curved a pivotal draft eonneetionbetween said cou`- pler and yoke, said vyoke having-integrally formed therewith a spacer connecting said yoke arms rearwardly of said coupler.

7. In draft mechanism, the combination of a coupler havinga butt lwith tapered undercut lugs and a rear curved surface, a yoke having arms with tapered undercut lugs completely circular inr 'section `cooperating with said other lugs on said coupler butt to form a pivotal draft connection between said coupler butt and yoke, said yoke having a cross member connecting saidyoke arms act# ing. as a spacer and having a curvedV surface cooperating with the curved surface of said coupler butt.

8.' In draftlmechansm, the combination of a coupler having a butt vwith tapered undercutjlugs 'and a rearspherically curved sur-V draft connection between said coupler butt and yoke, said coupler butt and yoke being 10 disengageable only by relative movement from normal position approximately ninety dere'es.

igned at New York, New York, this 9th clay of February, 1925.

HOVARD L. INGERSOLL. 

